Headaches and Paradise
by Midnight Mischief
Summary: Although too sick with the flu, Jet is all too eager to get back into racing, without so much as considering possible consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**...I just wanted to make a cute story with Jet, okay?**

**All this is, really, is a short story I made with the marvelous Babylon Rouges, and our favorite blue hedgehog. Originally I planned for this to be a oneshot, but my final decision rested on making it two – maybe three – chapters long. We have some JetXWave teasing going on here, as well as some SonJet fluff (we'll call it that for now…) later on. The rest you'll have to find out by reading. Of course, if you're not interested - this would be your cue to leave.**

**Otherwise, please do enjoy.**

* * *

Throughout most of the night Jet lied in bed, tensed as he had tussled with a restless sleep. It was hard to greet with slumber, with his sinus as clogged as it was, and the excruciating pain in his throat and chest. Preventing a coughing fit – or attempting to – from occurring often went in vain, thus enhancing his headache even further. As much as he wanted to say otherwise, he was still sick… At least his illness isn't as bad as it was the previous few days.

It wasn't until yesterday when he was able to hold down his food once again…

Wave and Storm served him hand and foot, much to the point where it grew annoying at times… The albatross' gesture to massage him was always nice, but he would always end up shooing him off when he went too far – which for the most part would be him constantly trying to hand feed Jet crackers. And Wave… while her concern was well appreciated and she did all she could to help him recover; it often became overbearing. As if her forcing him to take his medicine – by of which meaning her literally _spoon-feeding_ him the liquid – wasn't bad enough, he shouldn't _dare_ be caught out of bed by her. After being blasted by the swallow, the hawk would be bullied back into bed.

And yet they would wonder why his temperature continually rose…

But perhaps, he thought, he should have let the swallow give him his meds for the night. Maybe then he would have gotten better sleep.

As soon as first light crept through his bedroom window he jumped out of bed, eager to discontinue his restless sleep. He had been too quick to dress, putting on his boots and sporting gear – things he wasn't able to wear for the past few days. Putting these things on was like piecing himself back together, as being unable to merely step out of bed was starting to take a toll on him. Flying out of bed like a bat out of hell and dressing so quickly nearly made him dizzy.

Of course, not that he minded napping so much. Just only when he was bored and wasn't even tired – much like the current situation.

But in spite of everything, Jet was all too eager to get back on his Extreme Gear; feeling the wind rush through his feathers as he soared through the air… It became a craving to taste that feeling once more, as he had been unable to taste anything while he laid sick in bed. He shuddered at the memory, all while resisting the sudden urge to cough. Yes, he was still – quite – sick, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

All he wanted was to be out there again… riding amongst the winds.

The problem, however, is that they were still airborne.

He wanted to move around, and not stay in bed all day. He knew Wave would not stand for it… but _he_ is still the leader of the Babylon Rouges. He should do as he pleases. And he wanted to ride his Extreme Gear. But getting them – yes, Storm included – to have them land the ship so he could ride would be its own battle, one in particular that he wasn't likely to be able to win.

_When push comes to shove, they're not such pushovers…_

At least he could still walk around the ship… even if there wasn't anything else to do. He could at least go to his office, or find something light to snack on. Just when he pulled the bedroom door open did he find the swallow standing in the doorway, her hand positioned as if she was about to knock.

In surprise, he jumped back with a yelp.

Narrowing her eyes, Wave stepped into the room, her hands firmly placed upon her hips. "And just what do you think you're doing out of bed?"

"I'm _fine_, okay?" the hawk huffed, folding his arms as he faced the other way. "I'm not even tired…"

"But how are you supposed to feel better if you're not getting all the rest your body needs?" she contended. "Speaking of which, it's time to take your medicine."

"I'll take it when I'm ready." he snapped, walking past her to get out of the room. His voice was raw as it still hurt to talk, and arguing was something he wasn't willing to do. "Besides, I'm hungry now… and I want to actually _taste_ something."

She sighed, following him out of his bedroom and into the hallway. "Then I suggest you take it easy… You weren't able to hold your food down until noon yesterday… and you only ate lightly at that."

"It was just for one day!" he exploded, thus straining his voice even further.

"Which could have been two!" she shot back.

"So what? I lived, here I am still!"

"Honestly Jet…" she paused when his coughing fit suddenly took place. She leaned over the hawk with her hand on his back as he was bent over, hacking and wheezing. During a moment of discomfort, it felt as if his stomach would turn on him… that is, until he was able to pull himself together. As he took deep breaths, Wave slowly helped him stood upright.

His cheeks burned a slight red; perhaps from high temperature, or embarrassment – maybe both. He looked the other way to avoid her gaze… bashful and shamefully desperate to hide the defeat in his eyes.

"You were saying…?"

The hawk's right eye twitched as his hands shook… before he covered his beak with his arm to sneeze. "Just give me my medicine…"

"Uh-huh…" She brought him back into the room, much to his dismay, and sat him back onto the bed. In her hand was the bottle of the sickening liquid. He grimaced, a groan emerging deep in his throat.

The corners of her beak rose slightly as she came to him with the medicine and a spoon in hand. "You'll thank me for this." she spoke gently, carefully pouring the liquid onto the spoon. "This should make it easier for you to sleep a little longer…" She held the spoonful up to his beak.

Jet defiantly turned his head away, a low growl vibrating within his sore throat.

Wave lightly pulled the spoon away, annoyance within her tone as she spoke. "_Come on_! Don't you want to get over your flu?"

"I can give _myself_ medicine!" he barked. "I can even get into bed by myself!"

"You need to take this medicine!" she yelled, forcing the spoon in front of him once more.

He lashed at the spoon, taking the whole thing into his mouth, before throwing it onto the floor. "There! Happy?!"

"_Jet the Hawk_!" Wave screamed. "I am trying to help you out, but it's like you're working against me!"

"BECAUSE IT'S UNBEARABLE!" he screamed atop his lungs, hence rasping his voice even further. "You're smothering me to the point where I just wanna bash my head in! I know what my body needs! If I don't attend to it, then that's _my problem_! So GET OFF MY BACK-"

His sentence fell short once an open palm connected to his cheek, knocking him down onto the bed. The hawk's eyes were widened with shock as he stared up into the swallow's livid gaze.

She leaned into his face, snarling viciously. "Get your head out of your ass. You're getting so close to losing your voice, your last coughing fit made it sound like your lung was about to collapse, and as far as we know – you're only able to hold down light nourishments. Whether you like it or not, you're sick. Very sick." she picked up the spoon and placed it on his nightstand beside the medicine bottle.

Nursing his cheek, he stood back on his feet. He took a deep breath, slightly calmer than before. "Yeah… but Wave, it's like you're treating me like a baby. It's ridiculous."

Her beak parted to say something, only to close instead. She sighed, gazing at the ground for a moment, before looking back into his cerulean eyes. "Yeah… I see what you're saying."

"You need to relax. Not like I'm going anywhere, right?" He flashed her a swaggering grin, only for her eyes to wander away and her cheeks to illuminate a light pink.

A soft chuckle escaped the swallow. "Of course."

Prompt and heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway, increasing in sound within each step. Minutes later the bedroom door slammed opened, causing both birds to jump, as a grey albatross stormed into the room.

Storm, bent over huffing and puffing, looked up with utmost urgency in his eyes. "I… ha… heard a bunch of screamin'… Everything okay in here?"

Before Jet could respond, Wave beat him to it, closing the cold medicine bottle as she began to exit the room. "Yes, yes. Everything's fine…"

"Not you! I meant da boss…" he paused, turning to Wave once again as she had her beak parted to retort. It seemed defused once he asked "And whaddaya think you're doin' in here anyways?"

For a moment she froze in place. Her cheeks became a bright red as she angrily exclaimed, "Do you not see the medication I'm holding?! And what's it to you anyway?"

"But I saw how close you two were. So you're telling me you _weren't_ trying to…"

"NO!" she exploded, her face gaining a reddish hue as she – in her mind – began sweating puddles. "D-don't be stupid… How dare you imply such a thing. Honestly…"

"You're right… He's _way_ outta your league!" the albatross bellowed with laughter, falling to the floor while clutching his sides. He kicked and rolled about on the floor, and appeared to be running out of air. His laughter, however, was cut short when the swallow jumped on topped on him and held him in a chokehold. The two rolled and tussled on the floor – once knocking Jet onto the bed as he so happened to be standing in the wrong place.

Stifling another cough, the hawk watched as his comrades wrestle with each other, knocking down whatever stood in their path. His blood boiled, and he suddenly felt hot, Jet took it upon himself to stop the ruckus… and before they broke anything of great value.

When they finally stopped rolling about, Wave was on top of Storm's back, pinning his arms behind him. The albatross kicked and wriggled to free himself as they both argued. Jet came between his companions and tried to push and/or pull Wave off of Storm. The two still argued with the albatross wobbling beneath the swallow. As this still went on the hawk bared his gritted teeth, his headache worsened as he did so.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" another coughing fit started, which he tried to muffle. Finally he was able to pull the swallow off her opponent, although not in time to avoid Storm's jostle to free himself.

Jet and Wave were sent flying into a dresser, the hawk having his back collide with the hard wood and the swallow's body crashing into his front. Storm, realizing what happened, scrambled to his feet as sweat appeared on his forehead. "S-sorry!"

The swallow came to her senses as she realized something on her own… He sat behind her, seeming dazed as his eyes swirled and stars danced around his head. However _where_ she sat – which so happened to be between his lap – was what made their positions awfully questionable… Her face became as bright as a tomato as she quickly crawled away from their stunned leader, and directed a death glare up at a guffawing albatross.

Blinking rapidly, the hawk finally came to, lethargically pulling himself to his feet… only to nearly fall flat on his face. The quarrel between his companions came to an end as they both gazed upon their leader with concern. Feebly with one hand he pulled himself upward, only stopping to sneeze in his elbow. Upon rubbing his nose with his wrist, however, a blotch of crimson was left in its wake.

Several minutes had passed since an air of silence engulfed the trio.

Finally Jet spoke, his voice – endeavored to – sounding dauntingly low, in spite of how frail it was at that point. "Get out of my room… _Both of you_…"

Both Wave and Storm gaped at their leader, the albatross nearly at a loss for words. "B-b-but boss…"

"GET OUT!" he screeched, then having to release a harsh cough afterwards. Quickly yet silently both comrades left the room, closing the door on the way out.

Once he finally managed to pick himself off the floor, Jet slowly made his way back to his bed. He undressed completely and grumpily tossed everything into a pile on the floor, before sliding beneath the covers.

As of right now, a nap was just what he needed…

…

From what he could tell, by glancing out the window, he had been asleep for hours. Were it not for a need to eat – a small percent of his appetite he had recently acquired – he would have stayed in bed.

On his way to the kitchen he ran into the albatross, who was twiddling his thumbs and looked rather nervous. He merely crossed his arms with his eyes half lidded into a testy pout. Storm, with his forehead glazed with sweat and his hand running down his neck, motioned with a thumb behind him.

"So Wave and I were talking… and we wanted to show you something." Jet raised a brow at this, slightly tilting his head in curiosity. "C'mon! I'll show ya!" he took off down the hall with a screeching hawk in his grasp.

The hulking bozo had brought him to his office – for a reason he's yet to find out. He bolted into the room, where Wave stood in front of the desk. She had her hands behind her back, as if she was keeping something hidden. And to think, the hawk thought, how quickly the day went from horrid to completely bizarre. Just how hard did he hit his head?

Clearing her throat, the swallow revealed a brochure of a tropical resort. "We figured you could use a real vacation. Something to get your mind offa things, y'know?" he herd the albatross gabbed.

Jet took the pamphlet and began to read to himself. "But how can I go on vacation when I'm too sick to enjoy it?"

The grey brute took a moment to scratch his head. "Spend a lot of time in the hot tub?"

"Or just take the time to relax?" Wave mildly stated, glaring at the albatross.

"I can't even breathe properly, and you expect me to relax?" He slammed the brochure on the desk, turning his head away as if it was something revolting. "What else you got?"

Storm and Wave exchanged looks, before the albatross slid the booklet towards their leader. "That's it boss. We was sure you'd be interested…"

"Look, it's bad enough I'm sick with the flu. I don't want to be responsible for spreading some disease." he slid it across the desk, which the swallow swiftly caught.

"What can we do for you, Jet? I think we've literally tried everything, but you seem to have something particular in mind." she slid it back towards the hawk.

"If you want an honest answer, then you really don't want to know." Exasperated, he crumpled the booklet and tossed it on the floor. "Do whatever you want, I don't care. I'm done arguing." he turned around to leave…

…and felt a soft grasp atop his shoulder.

"Just wait a minute, okay Jet?" tiredly, he turned around to fully face the swallow. "We want you to be happy, alright? I…" she caught herself. "…_we_ want to see you smile again." To her dismay, the hawk merely turned his head away from her – as if there was something more of interest beyond the doorway.

Her hand slid down his arm to take his hand in her own. Only then did his gaze return to her, once again captured by her cobalt orbs. She smiled, satisfied to have his undivided attention once more. "Tell you what: we'll go on this vacation once you start to feel better. Then you'll fully be able to relax."

It only took a moment for Jet to reconsider the idea before the corners of his beak curved into a small grin, his grip seemed to have tightened slightly in her grasp. "Alright, vacationing it is. We'll start packing in a couple of days." Wave's smile brightened as her own hand tighten around his, Storm gave a slight cheer from hearing the news.

The excited bruiser pumped his fists, his voice booming with enthusiasm. "In the meantime, I can still give you my massages while you take your vapor bath. And since you're ready for it now, I'll go run the water!" the last sentence reverberated in the hawk's mind as Storm's large footsteps were heard thumping down the hall.

He looked at his hands to find them bare… He felt atop his head to feel nothing there… He glanced at his feet only to see his toes…

It was apparent that he had forgotten to dress himself after getting out of bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**I've been working on this chapter for several months now - probably longer. ****Oh, er... *Ahem* I may have lied about this coming to three chapters, but that's about as much I'm saying for now.**

**Here you are; have at it.**

* * *

A morning breeze graced the lush and emerald leaves of the palm trees. Beneath the mellow sun the large and pure blue beauty known as the ocean engaged a calm conversation with the glittering golden sand. Clear skies crossing over the seashores gave the place a vivid and stunning appeal – for anyone looking for a good place to unwind and renew, be it a day or a week. With its tropical accents and all of its fine features the island had to offer, it screamed what one would think with just one simple look.

Paradise.

It reeked with tranquility, even as other citizens walked calmly amongst themselves. The large building was a busy one, but the sea of civilians moved ever so smoothly, it was so easy as to sail right by. The lines moved with ease, the employees were amiable and worked fairly quickly, perhaps it may all be too good to be true – but it was still far too early to tell. Beyond the glass doors awaited everything that was meant to be enjoyed, everything that held so many promises to a good vacation.

Upon the bright white tiles three pairs of feet were making their way across the room towards the exit. They walked collectively, one in front – him undoubtedly being the leader – while the other two followed close behind, the small group was positioned in a triangular pattern, an air of hauteur surrounding them. To the left was a purple-feathered lady, a swallow – wearing a rose tank top and white knee-length shorts, her chin held high as she waltzed along with the rest of her party. To the right was a grey-feathered hulking albatross in a blue Hawaiian shirt, his expression held straight as he walked with a protective air about him. The ringleader, being an emerald hawk, carried a smirk with him as he led them out of the large building.

Each wore a pair of shades and possessed their own suitcase in one hand, while the hawk held a booklet in the other. Sunlight from the glass ceiling shone over them, thus enhancing their feathers with a bright tone and exposing how sleek their shades truly were. This was quite enough to captivate anyone who happened to watch them walk by.

Outside provided the best results, however, as here it was brighter, and with the light breeze toying with their feathers. Their smiles grew upon setting foot beyond the doors, being greeted by the sun and the tropical air around them. After basking in the glorious welcome, they continued down the stone walkway in the start of a new adventure – to explore everything the island had to offer.

A vacation in paradise.

* * *

Noon had settled in as smoke reached the air. Festive cups filled with fruit smoothies or – non-alcoholic, of course – frozen daiquiris and plates holding grilled food rested on the counter of an open shack. Behind the counter was the grill that was currently occupied with racks of ribs, which were just turned over by a tong in a gloved hand. It was then moved to another side of the grill to remove the well-cooked steaks and place them on another tray, beside the grilled and seasoned pieces chicken.

Hotdogs and hamburgers were on another plate, which were the first to be cooked. On another plate were the grilled vegetables, which had also been finished a while ago. The echidna, who had been co-grilling with the one currently at the grill, announced to the others that the steaks were finished. The one in front of the grill momentarily, being a large emerald crocodile – who also snacked on a hamburger or two while cooking, was dressing one rack of ribs with sauce. Working beside them was a creamed-colored rabbit who had just finished making up the frozen beverages, alongside a younger and smaller rabbit like herself. The others who so happened to be there, those who weren't working behind the counter, ate and chat amongst themselves.

Once the ribs had finally finished cooking, the cook had shut off the grill before making a second helping with the food – including the just made ribs – since having taking over after his first plate so that his partner could stop to eat. Beside the meat, there were the side dishes and desserts that were made and brought in by some of the other members of the party. The drinks that the rabbits made were adorned with small umbrellas and/or a slice of fruit wedged on the edge of the cup, giving the drinks a rather charming appeal to them.

As soon as everything had been set, everyone was eating with full plates. After having their bellies full, everyone was back to mingling again. Although some had wanted to depart; starting with a young hyperactive bee who wanted to go to the beach, and a magenta chameleon who offered to take him. The young rabbit had asked her mother permission to join them, whom of which more than happily gave. A pink hedgehog, who so happened to be the young girl's best friend, decided to join them as well.

Resting on one of the beach chairs by the large swimming pool, a blue hedgehog laid on his back, his head within his folded arms behind him with his eyes closed. On the chair beside him was a yellow two-tailed fox, laying in the same position. The rabbit woman came and sat beside the fox with a smoothie in hand.

A warm smile seized her lips. "It was so kind of you to invite us over, Sonic."

With his own smile, and his eyes still closed, the hedgehog lazily waved a hand in the air. "Don't mention it. Besides, I figured this would make a nice get-together while we're all here for the big event."

"Yeah! I'm really excited!" the crocodile exclaimed, taking the seat next to the mother. "I just can't believe they're giving away 5000 Mobucks for the grand prize… But who cares? Just as long as it's _real_ this time!"

"And since Eggman has no hand in this, I'd say it's safe to say so." uttered the red echidna, who promptly took the last free seat on the hedgehog's opposite side.

Nearby in a booth with a magenta beach umbrella atop the table, a dark hedgehog with crimson streaks gracing his curled quills made a harsh grunt – sheer annoyance within his tone. "What I can't believe is that I let you talk me into coming here, and for – yet another – insignificant race."

Sonic chuckled, before raising his head to look at the grumpy hedgehog. "Or maybe, I just wanted an excuse to spend time with you, Shadow." Shadow, after having a teasing wink shot in his direction, grimaced and turned away – leaving the cobalt speedster with a satisfied smirk.

Beside him sat a bat lady, dressed in beachwear, her arms resting on the table with her shades dangling from her hand. "Oh lighten up, will you? Who could resist a nice vacation like this?" She put on her shades and leaned back against her chair, one leg draped over the other. "As a matter of fact… a tan _does_ sound pretty good right about now."

The rabbit mother nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

"What sounds good to me right now is a race… on Extreme Gear." the blue hedgehog turned around once more. "Shads?"

His darker counterpart lazily returned his gaze. "And just for what purpose, if I may ask?"

With a shrug, he replied "Nothing but a good time. And with the race being tomorrow, what better time is there than now?"

After a short nod, Shadow rose from his seat. "Very well, then. Let's find out who would have a better chance in tomorrow's race. But I doubt you'll last very long either way."

"Only a race around the entire resort would testify to that." Sonic retorted, climbing out of his seat with a grin. "I just hope you'll at least be able to keep up with me. I know you haven't had as much experience with these things as I have…"

"Who's to say that means I can't beat you? You've already given me a head start." With that, Shadow took off at high speeds – to retrieve his Extreme Gear required for the race, perhaps – having a huge gust of wind hitting each of the bystanders, enough to earn a gasp from the mother and a curse from the echidna.

Sonic's eyes widened in shock, quills softly flowing in the wind as he stared ahead taking a moment to register what had just happened. The corners of his muzzle suddenly rose into a toothy grin. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He, too, took off in a blast, this time with the wind having enough force to knock over a cup of smoothie onto a growling echidna.

As well as one cup that landed onto the ground, light pink content spilling onto stone.

"Dang it! My smoothie!" cried the crocodile as he shot up from his seat.

"Don't worry, Vector. We've still some left at the shack." the rabbit woman reassured.

The emerald reptile, however, shook his head fiercely. "But not strawberry banana…"

"Then just buy another one. It's just a smoothie, not the end of the world…" huffed the bat lady, picking herself out of her chair. "I'm gonna go for that tan at the beach… Coming, Vanilla?"

"Right behind you, dear." the mother spoke, rising to her feet. "Would anyone else like to join us?"

"We're gonna stay with Sonic and Shadow… just to keep an eye on them." the yellow fox said, referring to himself and the echidna who furiously worked to remove his spilt drink on himself.

"I'll gladly escort you to the beach, Miss Vanilla!" In a blink of an eye, the crocodile was at Vanilla's side, having his arm locked with hers. "We'll also be there to look after the little ones. I sure hope Charmy hasn't caused any trouble…"

The small fox rose from his seat as he watched the trio leave for the beach. A sigh escaped his nose as he examined the once packed party area, now barren save for himself and his echidna friend.

"Okay Knuckles, let's go and find those two. Hopefully they aren't too far ahead."

Finally clean – although a little sticky – the guardian stood, but a frown still remained on his muzzle. "But what about this mess?" he said, motioning to all of the empty plates and cups, along with some leftovers, left by the shack.

The young fox shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry. After they finish their race, they can help us clean up."

* * *

On the other side of the resort, on a large beach filled with people and – yet it was still quite peaceful – was where the feathered trio came to relax shortly after settling in their hotel room.

Beneath one of the large straw umbrellas – where there were four neon beach chairs to each upon the beach – was where Jet and Wave have been resting, both with swimwear and shades on, and also on the same side of the umbrella. Storm had the other side to himself, although the albatross had left to go swimming in the ocean. At first, he tried to urge the other two into the water with him. But when neither birds budged – Jet wanting to stay on land for a while and Wave not wanting anything to do with the water – the albatross merely slipped away without another word, much to the suspicion of the swallow. Although skeptic when Storm first stepped into the ocean, Wave slowly became at ease once she saw the albatross occupied with the water for some time.

This left the remaining two alone, the hawk who was now watching Storm play in the water, and the swallow engaged in her reading.

He fidgeted in his seat, glancing at his half-filled glass of light blue liquid – which so happened to be iced tea – then back towards the ocean. Crystal eyes began to briefly scan the beach for some surfboards, though upon finding none he slid back in his chair, once again staring into the ocean.

Shortly after he glanced at Wave, who was still into her book. He lifted his shades to his head, much like how he wore his goggles, and nudged the swallow swiftly with his elbow, earning a sideward glance. "Sure you don't want to jump in?" his sinus was cleared enough for him to breathe properly, finally. However, his throat still tingled, and he would cough on occasion. With his throat being the only problematic area – even though he sniffled now and then – he was certain he was well enough for this vacation.

Her eyes returned to the page she left. "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"What? Don't tell me you're afraid of getting in the water, because I know that's not true." the emerald hawk chuckled.

She looked at him again, this time turning her head to face him. "I was talking about _you_. You're still sick, remember? The water might be too cold for you."

"Then what was the point of coming here? This is a _beach_. The water's not there to just look at, you know…" he grumbled. "It's been four days before we got here, I feel better now. In fact, we wouldn't even _be_ here if I wasn't. Why are you still nagging me?"

"For your own good." Wave said flatly, returning to her book.

"Then _why_ did we come here?" Jet huffed, falling back into his seat. "You said so yourself. Once I started feeling better, we would go on vacation… so I can unwind. You know, _relax_, _doing things_ to keep my mind _busy_…"

"Jet, please. I can't concentrate."

The hawk finally released a frustrated cry, slamming his hands on the armrests of his chair. At that point, Wave lifted her shades as well, and glared harshly at the bird. Baring his teeth, Jet shot his own glare at the swallow, angrily clutching the chair's arms. "You're not the boss of me… it's the other way around."

"So? Doesn't mean I'm going to let you get sick again, maybe even worse."

"That's so _stupid_! Why the hell are we even here, then?"

"You _wanted_ to come here!"

"But it was _your_ idea!"

She rolled her eyes, and returned to her book. "If you're going to keep complaining, then maybe we should just go back."

Jet tightly folded his arms over his chest as he fell back into his chair. "I wouldn't be 'complaining' if you weren't constantly dictating what I could and couldn't do."

"Cut the crap. Nobody's 'dictating' you." the swallow snapped. "But if being a good friend also means being a dictator, then I'll gladly take it."

"But that's _exactly_ what you're doing!" he exploded as he shot upright once more, his hands moving in gestures as he screamed. "Maybe it's not as bad as before, but still, I've had enough of you telling me what to do! I've said it once before, and I'll say it again… I'm NOT A BABY!"

Finally Wave slammed her book shut as she directed a heated glare at the hawk. "Then let me know when you're done ACTING LIKE ONE so I can stop TREATING YOU LIKE ONE!"

"Uh… guys? Y'know you're kinda causin' a scene here… right?"

Tearing their gazes away from the other and putting a stop to their snarling, Wave and Jet found an albatross in his soaked black and gold-streaked swimming trunks, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. The hawk growled. "_What_ Storm?"

"Well, there was something I wanted Wave to check out…"

"For the last time, I'm not checking for crab lice…" the swallow grumpily dismissed.

"Fine. But if I get sick from it, I'm holding you responsible." the albatross pouted. "I betchya if it was Jet you would check," he glanced to the side and quickly muttered, "especially if it meant getting into his pants…"

"I heard that, Storm!"

"And _watch your mouth_!" Wave angrily exclaimed as she jump out of her seat. Both her and the hawk's beaks illuminated cerise, her cerulean eyes gazing furiously upon the albatross while their boss simply looked upon another direction.

Storm scoffed. "Oh come on, don't lie… You and I both know that's true."

"_S_-_shut up_! What do _you_ know? A-and what is it that you take me for anyway? A floosy?"

"Well, I dunno. Is there a right answer to that?" Instantaneously his face was met with a flying book, thus knocking him onto the sand.

The fuming swallow rose out of her chair, baring her teeth as they clenched tightly together. "Guess again… You want a hint? It's _not_ me."

"I guess there really isn't a right answer…" the albatross scrambled to his feet and began to take off towards the shore, with the swallow hot on his tail. The hawk jump out of his seat and hastened to follow his ridiculous comrades down the beach.

The bulky bird dove into the water upon having his lower half deep into the water. Wave left her sandals behind on shore before carefully treading into the water, only to stop upon having the water the same height as her ankles. Storm poked his head above the surface with an exultantly taunting smirk, waiting for the swallow to follow him into the water.

Something which she did, in fact, catch onto, with a defiant posture and a knowing glare. "Nice try, albatwat… I already told you I wasn't going to swim."

"That was mature of you, Wave. Good one." At that point, Jet was standing alongside with Wave, who still hadn't moved an inch after the comment. This left the albatross releasing a frustrated sigh. "Alright then, I give up. I was gettin' a little bored swimmin' around by myself when I thought I could have a little fun with you. But you won't even give me that pleasure, so forget it."

"Don't you have crab lice to collect or something?" the swallow snapped, making her way back to the beach.

The glare of the rouge's ringleader followed her onto the beach, then switched to the bummed albatross. "I'll hang with you. I've been dying to get into the water, anyway." he eyed the swallow's sandals that she left behind on shore, hence a devious grin crossing his beak. "But it'll be an awful shame for someone's sandals to get ruined… eh Storm?"

"Huh…?" The hawk motioned towards the abandoned sandals upon the sand, which took a moment for Storm to realize they belonged to Wave. It took another minute for him to put two and two together and grasp where his boss was getting at. With an evil smile of his own, Storm watched as Jet discreetly picked up the sandals and joined him in the water where he handed the albatross the shoes beneath the surface…

* * *

Each with their zealous Gears, both hedgehogs tried to outrun the other as they weaved their way through the crowds of the resort. They appeared as nothing but multicolored blurs to each of the onlookers they zipped past, leaving behind a gust of wind as the only trace of their brief presence. One behind the other they grinded on a descending rail, only becoming neck and neck once more upon landing back on the ground.

Upon coming to a ramp – being one of the few they've come across thus far – both boards launched into the air, one right beside another. On his board, which was cobalt like himself, Sonic twisted as he soared, with his board slanted as he gripped its front edge. Next to him was his darker counterpart who moved in a similar motion, except with his hands on both sides of his board and his feet touching the sky. Both opponents greeted the ground at the same time and speeding up as soon as they got the chance. Ruby eyes glanced in his direction as they were heading towards a sharp turn. Sonic dashed again, crossing in front of Shadow before making the sharp turn. He took a minute to shoot a teasing smirk at the scowling dark hedgehog, just as they entered into a tunnel.

Once again returning to the warmth of the sun, the blue hedgehog remained in the lead, with his rival not far behind. They had a clear road ahead of them, which gave disappointment to the leading hedgehog. He was hoping for more obstacles, or at least more areas high enough to preform tricks.

However, he suppose, he could use this time to poke some fun at his rival.

Looking back at his rival, another grin crossed his tan muzzle. "So what was it you were saying about being able to beat me?"

"I wouldn't be celebrating so soon if I were you…" Shadow retorted. With a swift push of his foot, he simply caught up with Sonic. Emerald eyes widened as the Ultimate Life Form rode by his side, and leaving only a small gap between their Gears as he did so. The older hedgehog gave a smirk of his own. "You never know just what might hit you."

Sonic pulled away to lengthen the gap. "As long as you do it from a distance… surprise me."

His counterpart chuckled. "Careful what you wish for."

From the corner of his eye, the blue blur noticed an ascending route to his right, and immediately made the turn. Shadow followed him, as he seemed to have caught on perhaps not a moment too soon. He fell behind, putting Sonic in the lead once more as they headed up the road. The path became leveled and shaded with the various surrounding palm trees. Shadow was still behind him at a stone throw distance. Coming up ahead, Sonic saw what appeared to be a viewing cliff. Another grin formed on his muzzle, his body crouched as he prepared to make a leap over the oncoming ledge.

And when the time was right, he launched himself into the air.

As he soared, he spun like a sideways top, both hands griping the sides of his board with his feet held together. It was a perfect 360 spin, and – if his estimate of the drop was correct – he still would have enough air time to make his trick into a combo…

Yes, he _would have_…

Just as he was about to perform what he planned for a trick, Shadow had zipped right beside him and did something the young hedgehog least expected. He grabbed both of Sonic's wrists and used his body to spin them around like a cyclone. It was that simple to do because it caught Sonic completely off guard, thus his incapability to resist such a stunt. What astounded the blue hedgehog even more was that his darker counterpart was able to use the stunt to his advantage and launch himself ahead of him. Just as they were coming closer to land, he let go of Sonic just as his body was lined with his pesky rival's. And with the force of the spin at play, he was able to fly ahead him.

Not only was Sonic's plan shot – or completely revamped at an especially critical time – the stunt nearly had him flop his landing. It was a shrewd move, but utterly dirty all the same.

Sonic sped up to his rival, who visibly looked all too pleased with his work as he smiled at him. Sonic's mien was the exact opposite, emerald eyes piercing crimson eyes with ample ire. "You seem to be in a cheating mood today…"

Shadow merely shrugged. "Cheating? In a race that has no rules whatsoever?"

"That wasn't cool, Shadow!" barked his blue counterpart. "You could have wiped me out! And frankly, I've never seen anything like _that_!"

"You said to surprise you, and I granted your wish." the striped hedgehog countered. "This race was boring the hell out of me, so what's wrong with adding your own twists to spice things up bit? It's just us racing, anyway."

"It _is_ cheating, and it makes it even more of a foul play when that person could have gotten hurt!"

"Are we really going to have an argument over this?" Shadow asked in exasperation.

Sonic released a harsh sigh through his nose. "Fine, whatever. I'm just gonna get back at you, and then we'll call it even."

"As you wish, Faker. Just as long as you can keep up with me." He dashed ahead, leaving Sonic a distance behind him.

With a grin, the hedgehog sped up as he came close to catching up with his counterpart. "You don't seem to know who you're talking to."

* * *

On the way back to the beach chairs, Wave felt bothered by something lingering at the back of her mind. At first she ignored it, simply believing her own imagination was toying with her, but it only served to pester her further.

Finally, she stopped. There was something about her feet. Her feet… felt chilled… Because she stood in the ocean, she told herself, and waved the thought aside. But that wasn't it… Maybe, she thought, she collected sand on her feet. But, hold on, how could that be if she has her sandals on? Now that she thought of it, it didn't feel like she wore anything on her feet at all.

She looked down at her feet; they were bare and covered with sand. _But_ there was something else that didn't feel right. The walk back onto the beach was a silent one, and she already suspected that Jet must be dragging behind. Yet, not a sound of his footsteps whatsoever…

The swallow groaned, the juvenile hawk slipped away from her and is most likely hanging out with Storm in the water. Just by turning towards the ocean she confirmed it. There they both were swimming in the water, and consistently diving beneath the surface…

Jet rose from the surface for the umpteenth time, simply to gasp for more air. Under the calm radiance of the afternoon sun he laughed, gazing up at the clear blue skies as he started swimming on his back. He wasn't going anywhere as he swam in small circle, but stopped just to stare out at the horizon. It was all simply pure and blue, and he enjoyed everything about it. While it was true that he was still sick – with what was left of the flu, anyhow – he believed he made the right choice of coming to the resort.

Both Wave and Storm were right, a vacation was just what he needed.

A pair of thick grey arms suddenly emerged from the water and quickly brought him into a bear hug. It earned a yelp from the hawk before it pulled him underwater once more. Storm returned from the surface as he began laughing like a loon. He started to swim towards a different direction, just as Jet jumped atop his back with his arms around the albatross' "neck". Both birds continued their giggling as Storm was swimming back towards the shore with Jet still on his back, ruffling the bigger bird's feathers on top of his head.

Did the contact between them feel out of place? Perhaps, as it was rare for the rouges to play with each other, specifically in a roughhousing manner. But they were here to have fun – mostly for Jet's sake – and Jet was happy. Storm was happy to see his boss happy, especially with the fact that they were bonding as friends. It hardly ever happens, the relationship between them being a boss and his his personnel. Or – a term Wave had used in a rant about him – his little _servants_. He wished she had gotten into the water with them. He wished she was here playing with them, so she would see for herself what he already knew…

Jet acknowledged them as his friends. He deeply appreciated them.

He treasured them dearly, and Jet honestly didn't know how he would get along without them. As beautiful as the resort was, he couldn't imagine how much fun he'd have if he was here by himself. They were the best part of this vacation…

The hawk looked down at the albatross, who kept his gaze focused straight ahead as he was bringing them to shore. He sighed as he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to rest as he was being carried back to shore.

"Wave…"

Yes, Wave was the only thing missing in this picture. The hawk couldn't help but wonder why Wave didn't want to join them – well, Storm – in the water. Why would she choose reading as appose to getting into the water when they were on the beach? She knew how to swim, didn't she? He knew he wanted to surf, which was something they each liked to do.

Perhaps she just wasn't ready to get into the water just yet…

"Boss, Wave's waiting for us on shore…"

Jet reopened his eyes. Sure enough the swallow was standing on the beach, watching them with her arms tightly folded over her chest. He smiled and waved at her, until when Storm got onto shore where he dropped down from his back. She raised an eyebrow at him as she cleared her throat. Wave was upset with him, he figured, but didn't care all the same. As a matter of fact, he pulled her into a tight embrace, having his arms circled around her shoulders.

Her posture stiffened, mostly because it was something she least expected him to do. A small part of her wanted to shove him off, while the greater half wouldn't mind – or would love more than anything – to return the same passionate embrace. However, she chose to do neither and – as a cover-up for the sudden swelling of affectionate feelings – simply asked in a rather crept out tone, "…What are you doing?"

He pulled away to look at her, as he still held her. "You need to get wet too."

Finally, she pulled his arms off her, her expression twisted into an awkward cringe. "Why…?"

"Because you never got into the water, unlike us." Storm chimed in as he joined the two. "There's no way we're gonna let you miss out." he, too, grabbed her in a full embrace.

Now, Wave had a face of disgust, and tried to wriggle herself free of the albatross. "Now I just want to know why you're both acting so weird…" It was just then she remembered something, and stopped her struggle to give dirty looks to her teammates. "By the way; have either of you seen my sandals? I forgot them and left them here… along with Jet." she glared at him, upon saying his name.

"Are you serious?" the hawk huffed. "What do you think I would want with your shoes?"

"Where _are_ they?" she snapped. "I saw yours, Jet, but I didn't see mine."

"Uh oh…" the albatross murmured, and began to make his way back to the beach chairs.

Wave crossed her arms, her eyelids half closed into an impatient glare. "Storm…?"

He froze in place upon hearing his name. Storm slowly turned to face the heated swallow, fiddling with his fingers nervously as he stuttered his words. "I… uh… I don't know."

It was obvious, she knew. "What did you do to my sandals?"

Glancing at his boss, who – with his expression – was also asking the same question, Storm sighed, before breathing his next sentence. "I lost them in the water."

"Why were they in the water in the first place?" Wave asked, with a strangely mellow tone.

Storm's gaze dropped to his feet. "…It was supposed to be my prank on you. I was supposed to get them all dirty and gunky, but I went ahead and lost them instead." he brought his eyes back up to the swallow and added "I tried looking for them… but I couldn't find them anywhere."

"No…" Jet spoke, earning the attention of both his companions. "It wasn't his idea, it was mine." his eyes narrowed at her. "I did it to get back at you for trying to ruin my vacation."

Releasing a sigh of her own, Wave allowed her head to fall back. When she finally lowered her head to greet Jet's gaze, her expression was as flat as her tone. "I see you chose the least petty in any way possible response to the most accurate and not at all ridiculous theory you came up with."

The air around them began to feel as dense as it would were it about to storm. Storm began to shift with discomfort as a staring match issued with his other rouge companions. When _he_ pictured the three of them on vacation, it was nowhere near as tense as it was here. He felt the need to come up with something to defuse the situation at hand…

And just as he stared out into the ocean – as if it could give him some kind of solution – he did just that.

He eyed a nearby rack that contained surfboards. "Hey, why don't we go surfing? We all like to do that." he nervously spoke.

Both birds left their gaze from the other to look at the ocean for a moment. It put the albatross slightly at ease that they stopped their quarreling… for a moment, that is – before they both dismissed him with a curt "Not now."

His shoulders sunk while another sigh escaped his beak. Storm tried again, however, scanning the beach for another activity they might enjoy. When he discovered a volleyball net further across the beach, accompanied with a rack of volleyballs – and a stray beach ball that laid nearby, it gave him another distraction to point out.

Well… until he spotted two figures from an outer distance that appeared to be hovering in midair.

And just by watching them intently as they soared through the sky, the albatross realized _how_ they were moving in midair.

"Random question: were either of you aware of an upcoming Extreme Gear race?"

Jet and Wave stared up at their larger companion, brows cocked as they asked in union, "What?"

Gaze still fixed on the figures in the distance, Storm extended his index finger that followed them within his view, and also to show his fellow rouges what he was referring to. "I think that's what those guys are practicing for…"

Surely they followed his gaze, as the both of them seemed too occupied with the two riders yonder sand rather than each other. With an inward chortle, and a sideways glance at his companions, Storm had another scheme brewing in his mind, which he hid by resuming his attention on the two riders passing by.

Wave already knew what was going through Jet's mind. She already had suspicions throughout the week that the hawk had been craving for a chance to fly amongst the air. Why else was he fully dressed and trying to sneak out of bed so early the other morning? Perhaps, only when he realized that they were still within the clouds had he decided not to, because his board was in his room somewhere propped against the wall. He wasn't kidding anyone – not her anyway.

Just like right now. She could see it in his eyes, he wanted to do just that; _ride_… And all he would have to do is find out where to sign up.

He wasn't going to miss out on this brilliant opportunity. Jet grinned, this was the perfect chance. No one could stop him from entering an Extreme Gear race, no one as in _Wave_ to be exact. So, he still had somewhat of a cold. They're supposed to be on vacation – at least, that's what he thought – so, what the heck?

Unless she were to tie him up and keep him occupied until the race happens, she can't stop him from entering.

"STORM!"

Startled by the sudden shriek that literally came from next to him, Jet was yanked from his thoughts as he instantly looked for the source of the commotion. That was when he found Storm taking off with a visibly enraged Wave, whom the albatross had draped over his shoulders, over towards the ocean. The hawk exploded with laughter as the swallow thrashed at the albatross while violently exclaiming a barrage of swears. Storm laughed like a madman, even with Wave attempting to grab him in a chokehold, as he continued to run until his bottom half was underwater. He turned around to face the beach before he fell backwards into water, having both him and the swallow underwater.

Wave immediately rose from the surface, as did Storm, who continued his crazy – yet victorious – laughter. She shot him a death glare. But, instead of pouncing on the hulking bozo, she splashed him, which interrupted his obnoxious laughing, much to her satisfaction she made apparent with a sly smirk.

The battle was on. Both birds splashed vigorously at each other, grinning and laughing and swimming in circles to avoid the other's blows. Jet watched them, who had been laughing along with Storm with as much vigor up until this point, as their splash fight became a game of water tag. The Babylon ringleader began to make his way towards the ocean to join them, until he was hit with a sudden cool breeze. It triggered a reminder of something which had him stop dead in his tracks.

He turned his head to look behind him, where he last saw the two riders riding by the beach. But they were nowhere in sight. He scanned the direction they were heading towards, but he still had no luck in spotting them. By now, especially at the speed they were going, it was likely they were long gone. Oddly, he felt his emotions being overtaken by disappointment at having missed them.

And he wasn't sure why, either.

Minutes passed by as he stared across the beach, seeing past the crowds scattered throughout the area. He found himself thinking about his Type-J Extreme Gear, mentally visualizing himself and his board riding along the beach. His feathers captured by the breeze, the sun cheering him on, the gaze of some of the onlookers stuck on him as he blew by, catching their breaths as they gaped in awe… Maybe he doesn't have to enter the race, which he originally thought would be the perfect excuse to ride on his Gear. It wasn't like he needed one. Again, no one could stop him from doing what he wanted – especially since they were on land, with everything in his reach.

But a race would give him something to do, he countered.

But there are plenty of different things to do in this place. Plus, how much do you want to wager that the race would hold little to no challenge just for the three of them to blow through in under three minutes?

And who's to say that's exactly how the whole thing would play out? Maybe there is something that would be worth their time. This race – of which has something he's been dying to do for over a week – is just something else to add to the list of things to do.

What if that's exactly how it'll all go down? If that's the case, then he may as well ask Wave and Storm if _they_ wanted a race with just the three of them, one lap around the resort.

Purely based on a what-if? _As if_…

Jet shook away his thoughts, deciding this simply wasn't the time for a debate. Maybe he'll ask for more information about it later, or maybe there's no race at all. He would find out later, he concluded, and began to walk towards the water to join with his fellow companions…

"JET!"

Yet again, he stopped, upon hearing his name this time. He completely turned his body away from the ocean and found something – or… someone – heading his way. They were in midair… which Jet recognized that this person was on an Extreme Gear. As they got closer, he recognized the familiar blue color of the board… _and_ the rider.

How was it possible that _he_ was there too?

Sonic flew up to the emerald hawk, a smile crossing his peach muzzle. "Hey Jet, long time no see!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. However, the rouges' leader merely hummed, folding his arms over his white-feathered chest. "Well, well… look at what the wind blew in."

"Look at what the cat dragged in…" he playfully replied. "Small world, ain't it?"

"Too small for my liking…" the hawk replied with a frown.

Sonic jumped off from his board onto the sand, he held his Blue Star gear in one hand. "Well, for someone I haven't seen in a while, you sure don't seem too happy to see me." The hedgehog had eyed the water where both the swallow and the albatross watched him with blank stares, and didn't appear to be getting out of the water to greet him anytime soon. With a hum, having acknowledged the unfriendly atmosphere around him, his gaze resumed on Jet's sour mien. "Or, are you just _pretending_ you're not happy to see me?" he asked with a teasing grin.

Jet merely raised a shoulder in a half-shrug. "Didn't expect to see you here, honestly."

The blue speedster tilted his head as his muzzle twisted into a mixed expression of confusion and mild surprise. "What? Seriously?"

The Babylon Rouge cocked a brow. "What's it to you?"

Sonic's expression mirrored his younger rival's, appearing to be further baffled. "So… you _aren't_ aware of an Extreme Gear race being held here at the resort?"

Having remembered the speculation being made earlier, Jet looked over to the other rouges, both who exchanged looks of their own – apparently sharing the same thought. "Kinda suspected something like that…"

The hedgehog's brows raised at this, before he looked curiously at the hawk. "Why are you guys here, then? If you're not here for the race…"

"We're on vacation." he heard the swallow explain, as both her and Storm finally decided to join them on the beach. "Again; what's it to you?"

"Well, I thought you guys would be here for something other than… vacationing, especially if there was a race to be held."

"While we're being nosy here, why are _you_ entering this race, Sonic?" Jet asked, with a small amount of hostility. "Aren't you usually chasing after that moronic scientist Eggman?"

He shrugged. "Haven't seen hide or tail of him after that Lost Hex incident…" Each of the rouges exchanged baffled glances, which, Sonic dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Long story… Anyway, the race is just something extra to do. I'm on vacation with my friends, too." he paused. "Speaking of which; you guys coming to the luau tonight? Heard there's gonna be an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"Yeah!" Storm exclaimed eagerly, just as he and Sonic shared excited grins. "I know I'm definitely looking forward to it!" Wave and Jet merely exchanged deadpan glances, neither giving a response to the question.

Instead, Jet asked his own question. "Where do we sign up for the race?" For the first time since Sonic's appearance, he smirked, which was overfilled with self-confidence. "I gotta be able to cream you while I still have the chance, don't I?"

"Yeah, guess it's always nice to dream every once in a while." the hedgehog stated with his own cocky smirk.

Jet furrowed at the quip, a direct dart to his ego… Now he _has_ to enter the race, just to prove the hedgehog wrong and have him put in his place.

* * *

This was already turning into an interesting vacation, Sonic ruminated, and without the help of Eggman at that. He had competition all around him; having a bet made with Shadow, and now Jet who wants to enter the race just to beat him. It nearly made him laugh, seeing how passion burned in his eyes for a glory he could only hope to achieve through _that way_… He had never tried so hard to not die of laughter.

As a matter of fact, he never really thought of it until now just how desperate the hawk appeared to him. He was renowned as the fastest thing alive, but _this guy_ – even though he's well-known as the Legendary Wind Master – has always believed that he himself housed the same title as him. But, of course, that only applies to when he's airborne _on his board_… Not only is Sonic the fastest on land, but he is also just as fast on his Gear; not to mention all the times he has beaten Jet in a race. At least Shadow could provide him more of a challenge both in air _and_ on foot…

Clearly, Jet believed too much in his own height, much to the point where it was just… _stupid_…

Of course, there's nothing wrong with enjoying every bit of what you have. And the hedgehog wouldn't say all this to be mean, it was simply a fact, one that he was sure Jet knew himself… didn't he? Isn't that why he was always so hell-bent on proving he was faster than Sonic… _on Gear_? Is there more to that than what he knew?

Shortly after he made the comment, just as Jet opened his beak to make a retort, the air around them stirred as another Extreme Gear approached the group. It was Shadow, with his crimson eyes gazing down at Sonic in a harsh frown. He looked awfully disappointed, especially with his arms folded over his furred chest.

Wave leaned over towards Storm and whispered something to him in annoyance. "If I see one more familiar hedgehog drop by, I'm gonna lose it…" The albatross simply nodded in agreement.

"You do know if this was a real race; they wouldn't wait for you to finish having your reunion with someone on the sidelines, right?" his darker counterpart scolded.

Jet narrowed his eyes at the older hedgehog, who was either oblivious or nonchalant of the hawk's glare. Sonic smiled innocently at his other rival. "Sorry, Shads. Didn't mean to keep ya waiting." he hopped onto his board, which rose to the same level as Shadow's. As the ebony hedgehog turned to leave again, Sonic turned to Jet to utter a quick goodbye. "Guess I'll see you guys around, hopefully at the race as well."

"Wait!" the hawk called out, causing a puzzled glance from the blue one, and an annoyed glare from the darker rival. Jet continued, "You never told me where to sign up for the race!"

Sonic snorted. "Oh right, _that_… The registration center is over at the plaza not too far from here. You'll see a blue circular booth in the center, that's where it is." As if the way Sonic uttered his words hadn't rose mild suspicion and curiosity in Shadow, his brows certainly arched when Sonic gave the information on the registration…

Jet nodded, a small smirk upon his beak. "Right. See you then, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic smiled and waved. "Looking forward to it!" With the other hedgehog by his side, he took off into the distance, leaving the rouges behind as they were exiting the beach…

Traversing down a road and through a dirt path, the duo had entered a jungle-like area. Crisscrossing past trees and dangling vines, they were still neck and neck. Shadow, however, couldn't stop sending the younger hedgehog side glances as they raced through the area. Sonic eventually noticed, and finally exclaimed, "What?"

"Why did you do that?" Shadow blatantly asked.

He shrugged, his face twisted into a confused scowl. "Do… _what_?"

"You gave false information about the registry to those birds." the dark hedgehog snapped.

Sonic's expression never changed. "I told them where it was."

A frustrated sigh escaped Shadow as he resisted the urge to bring his hand to his face. "_No_. I'm referring to you leading them to believe that they're still accepting more participants for the race."

"And you care… why?"

"Because, Sonic, it would be very unlike you to do something purely out of spite."

Another smile was made for the other hedgehog, as Sonic moved his hand over his chest. "Aw, Shads, I didn't know you cared so much." That was when Shadow flew ahead and came to a stop in front of the younger hedgehog. Sonic came to a direct halt, nearly crashing into his rival as their boards where lined into a T. "H-_Hey_!"

"Time out. Stop the race." When Sonic opened his mouth to protest, Shadow immediately cut him off as he pointed towards a nearby tree. "Park it, hedgehog. _Now_." Groaning and rolling his eyes, he reluctantly complied with his demanding rival and followed him towards one of the close by trees.

Both hedgehogs hopped off their boards and placed them against the bark. Sonic crossed his arms in a pout, drearily waiting to hear more scolding from the other one. "I don't know what that was about back there, but don't think I didn't acknowledge the strange tone you had. What you did was quite fraudulent, something I was certain you were far above."

A deep sigh escaped his nose, emerald eyes focused on the dirt beneath him. "Yeah, that's true…" he brought his gaze up to meet with attentive ruby eyes. "But at the same time, that's what they get in exchange for their rudeness." he chuckled with the playful remark.

He may have said it as a joke, Shadow mused, but he knew the speedster far too well. Also, it was obvious when a quote-on-quote 'joke' is used to cover up what amount of solemnity lied hidden within the statement. This was something the hedgehog tended to do. From the look in his eyes, however, Sonic knew he made a silly mistake. Shadow could also sense his embarrassment, something else he often tended to disguise.

His tone was still critical, nonetheless. "That was very petty of you."

"Which is why I owe them a race…" Sonic glanced at his Extreme Gear propped against the tree. "As a matter of fact, that's what I'll do." he murmured, before looking back at Shadow with a smile. "I'll drop out of tomorrow's race, and we can just have one of our own." Appearing to like his own idea, Sonic's smile grew. His mind wandered further, thinking of all the other activities the island had to offer. "We could even make up our own sports mix, with everything else we could do here." he announced his cogitations aloud, which wasn't quite intended for Shadow to hear.

Nevertheless, Shadow simply nodded in comprehension. "Only if you feel that's what needs to be done."

"You could join us, if you like." Sonic added, his tone overtaken with excitement. "With you around, it'll totally take things to a whole new level of interesting."

The dark one shrugged. "Normally, I wouldn't consider playing games all day… But perhaps, I'll think about it."

"Hey, I need _someone_ on my team." chuckled the blue hedgehog. From a distance, the sound of approaching Extreme Gears reached his ears. Shadow seemed to have picked it up also, as both he and Sonic searched for the direction of the source.

Tails and Knuckles came into view, one behind the other on their Gears. Both of them pulled in front of the hedgehog pair, the young fox looked relieved to have found them. "There you guys are! I was beginning to think we wouldn't find you!"

"Hopefully they aren't too far ahead…" groused Knuckles, mimicking the young fox's voice as he made the gripe. Tails only rolled his eyes in response.

"About time you guys caught up! You wouldn't believe what happened earlier." Sonic piped.

"I wonder if that means it's too late for witnesses…" Tails warily uttered.

"I don't know, they both look like they're in one piece." the echidna wryly grinned.

"That's part of it…" Sonic said darkly, glaring at his counterpart who rolled his eyes and looked away. "Actually, I ran into the Babylon Rouges not too long ago. Turns out they're on vacation as well."

"And there goes my vacation…" Knuckles grumbled through clenched teeth. "Guess we'll be seeing them in the race, then?"

"No, actually. They didn't even know about the race until I told them." Both of his friends gaped at him, before bartering their astonished glances.

"_But_… Sonic chose to leave out the part where they weren't accepting anymore entries at the registry." Shadow added. "So, no, they won't be making an appearance." his gaze met with Sonic's furrowed mien. "Other than that, you haven't missed much."

"But, that's okay, because I won't make it to the race either." avowed the blue hedgehog. "I owe them a race. Or, at least I know Jet would be looking forward to it."

Knuckles and Tails looked at each other again, then at Sonic in puzzlement as they asked in unison. "_Why_?"

"Er…" he glanced at his rival beside him, who only stared back at him. "Long story…" He grabbed his Gear and jumped on top, the board bringing him aerial once more. "How about a race with the four of us?"

"Actually, it's about time we head back to the shack to clean up." Tails spoke. "The group dispersed a while ago, and I really don't feel comfortable with leaving that mess behind."

"Meanwhile, you can explain to us as to why you feel you owe _them_ anything…" Knuckles remarked, a small amount of disgust visible in his tone.

Shadow hopped atop his gear as he joined the group. "I can assure you it's not much of a doozy."

"Tattletale much?" Sonic asked flatly. He took off on his board, with the others following closely behind.

* * *

Afternoon settled in by the time the Rouges returned to their private beachside cabin. Bless Wave for making the reservation. Otherwise, other people would have been hearing the ruckus going on in the room…

Jet was yelling and screaming, his beak going a mile a minute with his heated rant. Within his rage, he constantly stuffed his beak with the chocolate covered almonds that were in a large bowl found in the main room. Storm, who was preparing to take a quick shower, only listened in silence. As did Wave, who watched their leader pace back and forth – clenching his fists and teeth as he did so. She rolled her eyes, it's almost like they never left for vacation…

Even though it was part of the reason why he was angry, Jet wasn't so much as raving over the fact that they were going to miss the race, but more so because _he_ tricked him… and with a smile on his face. The swallow had promised they make time for vengeance, but it just wasn't the time – according to her.

But the hawk wasn't willing to wait.

He slammed his fist on the bedside table, plopping down onto the large bed. They were in the master bedroom, where Jet would be sleeping. She hoped he wouldn't smash everything in sight…

"What _was_ that about, anyway?!" the hawk finally screeched, after swallowing the mouthful of chomped almonds he had in his beak. "Did he really think it'll be funny making fools out of us like that?"

"Who'd thought _he'd_ do something like that?" Storm conversed for the first time in the rant. Even Wave found herself surprised by the hedgehog's deceit. Maybe he isn't such a Mr. Goody Two-Shoes after all…

Unless, the misinterpretation _wasn't_ intended. Jet might be too ready to slaughter a completely innocent guy.

The rouges' leader took another handful of the chocolate covered almonds and shoved it into his mouth. Storm watched as Jet chewed viciously, an uneasy frown crossing his beak. "Gee, boss… maybe you should slow down on that chocolate. It won't be good for your teeth, _or_ your health…"

"_And_ you'll end up looking just like Storm." Wave cracked with a sly grin, and earning a glare from the albatross. Jet growled, both in response to Wave's remark and in frustration with the situation at hand. He shoved more into his mouth, and angrily chewed away. The swallow couldn't help but raise a brow at this. "Gee… I'd hate to see what you would do if he had done something worse…"

"Do you mind? I'm blowing off steam here!" Jet snapped, his voice muffled with his mouth full of almonds.

"You're just going to make yourself _more_ sick." Wave reasoned, sitting up on the sofa she rested on. "And for what? Over a silly little race?"

"I'm not angry about the race… I'm angry because that idiot tricked me!" he paused. "But why am I sitting here and eating this?" Jet stood from his bed. "He messed with me. So in exchange, I'm gonna mess with his face."

"Jet, _stop it_." the swallow snapped, rising from her seat. "Just stop it already."

"What? You expect me to just sit here and take it?" he shot back, folding his arms.

"_Actually_, I expect you to sort out your priorities, and figure out which is more important to you." She held up both of her hands and turned them upright as if she was weighing his options. He furrowed at this. "Your vacation," she listed, raising one hand. "or something completely unimportant. In other words… the idiot." the first hand lowered as she lifted the other hand. "Besides, how would you know that he purposely tricked you? Maybe he didn't know they stopped accepting entries either."

"He had to of, unless he just didn't read the form…" he glared at her. "Whose side are you on? And are you really making me choose?"

Wave shrugged, and coolly stated, "Like you said earlier; we wouldn't even be here where it not for you. So it's your call, really." He opened his beak to protest, however, he could never get his words out. His beak slowly closed shut, suddenly feeling as if he was too sick to even speak.

Both of his companions exchanged concerned glances, before looking back at the hawk. Storm was the one who spoke up. "You okay, boss? You look a little green…" he paused, and hastened to correct himself. "Greener than usual, I mean."

Jet swiftly snatched the bowl of chocolate from the table and violently tossed up into the bowl in his hands…


	3. Chapter 3

**It looks like this fanfic is nearly a year old now. As it turns out, this chapter came out much later than intended - and I was really hoping for a fitting summer update for this story. Shoot...**

**Anyway, here it is. I've had quite a tussle with writer's block for a while, hence such a long delay. I hope to make up for it.**

**Have at it!**

* * *

It had been roughly an hour since the incident. Jet was left alone in his room, Wave retreated to hers – he assumed, and Storm finally got into the shower. That is, before the tranquil of the beachside cabin was finally disturbed.

From the other side of his closed door, he could hear the bickering of his two companions – something of which he needed the least. He rolled his eyes, deciding to simply tune them out and get some rest. He turned away from the door and pulled the pillow over his uncovered ear, which only failed to drown out the arguing – and not to mention come anywhere close to being relaxing.

Finally, he gave up, and threw the covers off of him out of sheer exasperation. His bare feet marched straight towards the door, only deafened by the lush beige carpeting, and before his gloved hand could roughly clasp the doorknob…

"Jet isn't the one who needs to chill out – _you_ do." his motions came to a sudden halt, upon hearing those words fired from Storm's mouth.

Just as well he heard Wave scoff in response. "And what brings you to that ridiculous conclusion?"

"Are you kidding? That's far from ridiculous. If anything, it's the truth. But what I don't understand is why you would even consider bringing him here if you're not gonna let him do anything. If he's still too sick to do half of the stuff here, then why bring him here? He got in and out of the water just fine, didn't he?"

The hawk pressed his hands against the door as he carefully leaned his body closer. He rested his head against the door to listen intently to the argument.

"I didn't say he wasn't allowed to do anything," the swallow contradicted. "All I was trying to do was prevent him from getting in the water. Worst case scenario, he could come down with pneumonia – which is the _last_ thing any of us need."

"See? That's what I'm talking about! You're making it sound like he could drop dead the very second we turn our backs! I think you're being paranoid, and for no good reason, either."

"Then what do you think would be a good enough reason to be 'paranoid'?"

"Trick question: there isn't one."

"Well, that's on you."

"Wave… I know you're still worried about Jet, I am too. But you also need to keep in mind that we have a very strong leader. Nothing can keep the boss down, not even a measly flu!" A small smile formed on the hawk's beak. Of course, knowing how much of a loyal companion the albatross was, he knew Storm would back him up. However, he found himself pleasantly surprised at how well the albatross was doing exactly that.

Although, as he would also expect, Wave didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Need I remind you how much of a toll that 'measly flu' took on him? Not to mention how much hell there was to go through."

"It was pure hell, definitely – _especially_ for Jet. That's why he needs this vacation. That's why we brought him here, remember?"

"Obviously… I don't need you to tell me that."

"Then what _is_ all of this? You know, if you really care about him; don't you think you should consider his interests first?"

Wave sighed. "I already do that… If you're going to preach to me, at least get your facts straight." Footsteps were then heard marching towards another side of the room, followed by a slammed door. Storm exhaled a deep sigh before he silently took off for his own destination. Jet had already removed himself from the door and over towards his bed.

After dropping onto the mattress facing upward, the hawk took a longing gaze out the window at the nearby sea and palm trees. Undoubtedly, it was going to be a long day…

That was when his Extreme Gear came into mind.

* * *

The evening took place; the sun was resting upon the horizon with a pinkish-purplish hue of a backdrop, accompanied with the calm waves of the ocean and the sporadic pattern of clouds within the sky. Along the beach were straw tents and picnic tables, adored with tropical decorations and lined with plenty of food and drinks to go around. The beach itself was rather crowded, with the participants either swimming or surfing in the water, or upon the sand wandering, mingling, or eating.

It felt very similar to the lunch party they had – minus the entertainers, fancy decorations, and extra people, of course. The entire party came to the luau, and everyone separated into groups of two – or three – to attend to different things. However, there was only one group that was at least a party of four.

They stayed together to fully examine the beach, as neither one of them were sure what they wanted to do. As they walked up and down the beach with various conversations – and a little squabbling between the echidna and pink hedgehog, Sonic had been keeping an eye out for the Babylon Rouges. He remembered Storm saying about wanting to come, and he probably would have, unless Jet has anything to say about it.

And if he's angry with him, that of which is very likely at the moment, there is a very good chance that he wouldn't be seeing any of them tonight. A small part of him wished he hadn't met with them earlier.

He gazed at the buffet tables for approximately the umpteenth time, before releasing a soft sigh through his nose. For now, there was simply nothing he can do.

Whether Knuckles just noticed him looking over at the buffet, or had noticed the first time from half an hour ago, he seemed to have felt the need to comment on it. "You do know they're not gonna have any chilidogs here, right?" he said with a crafty grin.

Removing his attention from the eating area, Sonic rolled his eyes, giving the echidna a wry smile. "Funny. But at least you have nothing to worry about, you can have just about all the grapes in the world if you want."

The same grin appeared on the echidna's muzzle. "Funny…" His tone became serious when he said "By the looks of it, I'm guessing you haven't found _them_ yet?"

The blue one shrugged. "They're nowhere in sight. Unless, you guys saw them?"

The young fox shook his head. "Sorry Sonic, we haven't seen them either."

Amy shrugged. "I'd like to consider that a good thing, but that's just me."

"Ditto." the echidna replied.

After one lost glace around the beach, the blue blur finally gave up. "Oh well… I was hoping I'd have the chance to resolve things sooner, but I guess it'll just have to wait."

"I say just forget about 'em." the echidna indicated. "You don't owe them anything. Besides, we have better things to worry about."

Sonic frowned. "Yeah, no, that just doesn't sit right with me…"

Knuckles gave a nonchalant shrug. "Suit yourself, as long as it makes sense to you." With nothing more to say, he turned around and left the remaining and watching trio.

The Mobian hero merely fanned his hand and continued walking in the other direction, with his two remaining friends following behind. That was when Amy spoke. "He's not wrong; you don't owe them anything, and you don't have to either."

"Then what _should_ I do?" asked the blue hedgehog, after coming to another stop and turning around.

"Whatever _you_ think is best." she answered simply. "Whether we like it or not, we can't do anything to stop you. But regardless, not being able to find them now is probably for the best."

"Unless they really _are_ here." Tails suddenly piped, pointing towards one of the buffet tables. "I see Storm over at the buffet!"

Sonic smirked to himself. _I knew it._ "And that's my queue. Excusez-moi…" he quickly slipped away from the small group to join up with the albatross, oblivious to the uneasy looks shared by his companions.

…

"You better talk. _Fast_." Storm didn't seem too happy to see him – as he would have expected. He swiftly asserted to have come in peace and wanted to ask him something, hence the words previously spoken from the albatross.

Once he did, the hulking bird made a harsh grunt. His thick arms folded over his chest. "You got a lot of nerve, you know that?"

"And I feel really bad." the hedgehog openly admitted. "That's why I'm trying to make it up to you guys."

The albatross cracked his meaty knuckles. "Apology _not_ accepted."

Over from where they stood a few feet away; Tails looked up at the pink hedgehog, anxiety in both his expression and tone. "This doesn't look good…"

Amy sighed. "No, it doesn't… Storm wouldn't win a fight against Sonic."

Sonic slightly raised his hands in defense and calmly spoke to the rouge. "And you don't have to. All I'm offering is a race, with someone who can actually give you a challenge. Don't you think Jet would appreciate it as well?"

As Storm made a thoughtful hum, one of his hands began to caress his chin. "Well, I guess he…" he had muttered, before coming to an abrupt pause. He quickly corrected himself, tensing once more as he gruffly replied "I don't know. He's _really_ angry with you, and I don't blame him."

"Think about it, at least?" the hedgehog finally asked.

The albatross didn't answer right away, as he took a moment to really think about his options. Once he finally came to a decision, he looked Sonic dead in the eyes and gave a curt nod. "Fine. We'll just see what he says."

Sonic cracked a grin. "Just make sure you bring your A-game with you."

"Of course… _if_ he says yes." With those words being the final spoken, the albatross went about his business as Sonic headed towards his gazing friends.

He smirked at them as he walked by, his mien said it all. _See? I know what I'm doing._

Tails' uneasy expression provided his own thoughts. _Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…_

* * *

Peeking through the ivory curtains of the cabin was the vigorous morning sunlight. Wave spent most of the night in bed with nothing but her thoughts. As much as she hated to admit; she knew Storm had a point, and she knew Jet also had a point. No, actually… they were right. She had made a promise to both of them that she would lighten up a bit – hence one of the leading reasons for the trip in the first place. But it was probably apparent that she may have only gotten worse, rather than the initiative potential.

How she hated to find herself the fool…

As she stated herself; the most important thing that mattered was this vacation, and she would _not_ see it ruined – especially not because of herself.

With it being as early as it is, probably too early to get out of bed; combined with the fact that she hardly got any sleep – and the other two are likely to still be asleep themselves – she had the idea to go back to sleep for at least a few hours before getting up and starting a new day.

_Maybe I should check up on Jet first… _The idea was quickly shook out of her thoughts. He should be left to relax… and _she_ should allow herself to relax.

She turned onto her other side and closed her eyes, allowing herself to bask in the warmth and comfort of the bed…

"_Wave_?" Her bedroom door had suddenly slammed open, jolting her fully awake. She clutched her covers and made a low growl as Storm called after her. "I can't find the boss anywhere… Do you know where he went off to so early in the morning?"

She sat up and shot him a peeved glare. "What have I told you about knocking?"

"That before entering _the Boss'_ room, I should always knock before barging in." With a huge grin, he put an emphasis on Jet's name only, which resulted in him having to dodge a flying pillow.

"_Get out_!" Wave barked, clearly in no mood to put up with Storm's tomfooleries. "And toss me back that pillow while you're at it." Instead, the pillow met with her face rather than her awaiting hands. She wasn't sure whether or not that was intentional – for his sake, she hoped not – but she did hear the albatross cracking up a storm when it happened.

His laughing came to a stop once Wave picked up her wrench and proceeded to climb out of bed. Both birds were red in the face, for completely opposite reasons of course. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, a small chuckle slipping out afterwards.

"I'm not joking, Storm." her expression was unwavering, even as she poked him in the chest with her wrench. "The next time you enter _anyone's_ room, you better knock first. Especially…" she trailed off, having to recollect something. "Hold on… Jet's _what_?"

"He's gone, he's nowhere in sight." he answered, having calmed down. "I don't know where he could have gone at this time." Wave parted her beak to say something, until she caught herself. This seemed like a very convenient opportunity to stick it to him. At the same time, however, she had an inkling of _what_ the hawk might be up to – something of which she simply couldn't ignore.

_But_, they both insisted that she should relax and stay off of Jet's case… So why not go with the flow? And should something happen, she would be able to stick it to _both_ of them.

Finally, she made up her mind. With a nonchalant shrug, she merely stated "Eh…"

Storm raised a brow. "…_Eh_?"

She shrugged again. "Probably just went to get some fresh air. Besides, you know he doesn't like staying in one spot for too long…"

Storm watched her climb back into her bed, a very bewildered expression took him over. "You mean, you're _not_ worried?"

"Why? We're supposed to be on vacation, what _is_ there to worry about?" When the albatross had nothing to say in response, Wave smiled inwardly to herself. Just as she knew it would, it shut him right up. What she said was probably true too, and that much was enough put her at ease.

And whether or not he _was_ doing what she best believed to be likely, there's nothing she can do about it – other than hope he _wouldn't_ do anything stupid.

She slipped back under the covers once more and began readjusting her pillow, just as if nothing was ever said or done. After that was done, she still found the albatross standing at the doorway; simply staring in astonishment. She glared. "…You're still here? If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to sleep."

With his mien unchanging, he merely muttered "O-okay…" and proceeded to close the door gently behind him.

Wave finally allowed her beak to pick up a sly smirk. _So much for being paranoid._

A small smile had formed on Storm's beak once he closed the door. He knew she wouldn't admit it, as it turns out she heeded him after all. She truly understood, and she was making an effort to relax – just like she said she would.

If only Jet was to see this himself…

…

Whether it was the soft radiance of the sun or the crisp morning air, today just seemed like a much more beautiful day.

Beneath him he had a view of a not so crowded beach. His vision was slightly tinted due to his precious eyewear that he missed all too much. A sudden gush of air rushed past him, taking his feathers with it, as he continued to gaze upon the mildly active beachside. He turned away from the scene to take a glimpse of the spick-and-span object he held beside him, just as the corners of his beak rose into a toothy grin. He was alone, with his Type-J Extreme Gear.

And best of all; he was _free_. It felt almost as if he was finally able to breathe again.

The hawk hopped onto his board, eager to begin today's adventure with his beloved Extreme Gear.

…

It soon became noon time, and the hawk still hadn't returned. However, that wasn't the only thing that worried the albatross…

Wave was _still_ acting rather nonchalant about it. Even if she had only woken up about half an hour ago, it didn't – nor should of – mattered, this was _Jet_ they were talking about. The fact that he is still out there after all this time was something that was very hard to ignore, and the swallow would know that more than anyone.

Surely maintaining her ego wasn't her main concern, knowing full well how much she cared for their capricious leader. It was obvious there was something she wasn't willing to admit, which stemmed back all the way from day one. He began to wonder if this inward denial was actually starting to make her loose it.

As soon as she came out of her room, dressed in her usual outfit, he instantly approached her to confront her. But before he could even get one word out, she beat him to it, and not even stopping to chat as she continued marching straight towards the door. "I think I might know _what_ he's doing… but we need to go back to the airship just for confirmation, as well as to pick up some things."

Storm scratched his head, not only puzzled by Wave's sudden change of heart but also unsure as to what she was leading onto. "And what could that be?"

Only once they returned to their airship minutes later did he receive an answer. Following her inside the ship he was able to see for himself. Wave, apparently, was looking for Jet's Extreme Gear, since they visited both his office and his bedroom, and found no emerald and silver streaked board anywhere in sight.

That much was pretty much confirmed, however, there was one question that the albatross felt the need to ask. "So… what do we do now?"

After a moment or two of silence, Wave turned around to face her large companion. She stated simply "We go look for him, of course. Run and grab your gear."

He gave a nod. "Alright, but where do we even begin to look?"

"Well, if he's on his board, he could be anywhere." she pragmatically answered. "I think we'll have better results if we split up. But first, I'll need to make a couple of copies of the map…" She left the room, with Storm still following behind like a pet dog, and started making her way through the airship to reach her workshop.

Through the doorway of her little workshop, Storm would – quite frequently – cast his gaze upon her – and he did so in a rather observant manner. Wave would have ignored him, were he wasn't so consistent about it. From the corner of her eye she would often catch him in the act, and he wasn't at all subtle about it either.

Finally, it got to the point where it grated her nerves. When she addressed him, however, she did so very evenly, with her eyes still fixated on the computer before her. "What's wrong?"

The albatross heisted to answer, which vexed her further. She was going to simply ignore him again as she decided it wasn't worth getting into a conflict at the moment, that is, had he not finally decided to answer her. Bluntly he asked "Why a sudden change of heart?"

She kept her gaze focused on the computer. "What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure you know what I mean… Your attitude between yesterday and today. It's so strange, and you're not one to act so dis… discon… disconbomu… discomb…" This time she did look at him, an exasperated expression took her over as the albatross struggled to pronounce a big word she was surprised _he_ somehow knew.

Finally she corrected him, and doing so in a flat tone. "…_Discombobulated_?"

He grinned. "Yeah! See? You _do_ know what I'm talking about." he said, partially relived that she saved him from having to pronounce such a confusing word. With his face becoming serious again, he continued. "Obviously, something must really be bothering you that you aren't willing to say."

"I thought it was already obvious…" she uttered with a frown. "Doesn't matter though. I was acting a little irrational…" At this point, the printer had finally finished its task, and expelled two copies of the resort map onto its bottom tray.

"But I understand completely," he replied, as Wave stood from her chair and collected the new copies. "I was even really nervous at one point, it was pretty scary when he first got really sick like that… Remember when I first tried to hand-feed Jet crackers, and it was before we discovered he could hardly hold down anything at that point? I was acting all frantic, thinking I made him sicker by feeding him too much – even though I only gave him… like, maybe five crackers…" he had already began chuckling away at the memory, something Wave did not find funny enough to join in. She made no response as she brought the maps to her desk, and started doodling on them.

Even though he received no response the albatross still flapped his gums, not that it was unusual for him. "Besides, we'll probably look back at all this and laugh. It'll just be another one of those stories…" Thankfully she was able to tune him out, since she already had a plan set.

Once she was finished she handed him one of the maps, with a route she prudently drew for him. "You take that side of the island while I take the other." she explained. "Granted, it'll probably take all day… so make sure your Extreme Gear at least has a decent amount of power left. As big as the island is, I imagine it would be a pain to lose power somewhere afar from here." The corners of Storm's beak dropped into a big frown as Wave continued explaining her plan. It was starting to feel like a huge complicated chore instead of a sincere relaxing vacation…

* * *

Today, their large group was separated to different things. Amy and Cream decided to have a girls' day, Knuckles left for the beach to go surfing, Vector decided to take Vanilla Rabbit on a 'date' while Charmy dragged Espio off somewhere – the blue blur didn't know, nor care. Tails was locked away somewhere inspecting each of their Extreme Gears before the big race, Rouge went out shopping, and Shadow – he wasn't sure where he went off to.

The hero himself set out to find out where the rouges were staying. He forgot to ask the albatross when he had the chance, but figured it wasn't likely Storm would have told him anyway. Asking around would simply be a waste – as if anyone would know where they were staying, the rouges aren't the type of people anyone would generally see out and about. Knowing them, it was probable they were staying somewhere private… The most he could do is go out and hope to catch at least one of them. There was only so much time before the race, and he had hoped his dark counterpart would join him to increase the chance of making things _much_ easier, only to find out he was nowhere to be seen…

Perhaps if they weren't unaware of the Gear race in the first place, it might have been a little easier to find or – at least – run into them.

A part of him hoped he would run into Storm again – thus making meeting with the other rouges somewhat less difficult. It was an unfortunate factor that he lied… which he knew Shadow would be pointing out if he were here – perhaps it was a good thing that he wasn't… Good thing the hedgehog knew he was better than that, as well as – more or less halfheartedly – willing to prove it there and then.

But when the time comes to meet the leader of the Babylon Rouges… Jet might not even want to _look_ at him, as of now. If he knew the hawk as well as he thought he did, one good race should be enough to dissolve that fairly quickly.

Alas, he searched everywhere he could think of: the beach – where he was nearly certain he would find them, the spa facilities, and even the shopping district, only to find no such luck. Although a small part of him couldn't deny feeling a hint of relief, he had no intentions on giving up, especially so soon. With nothing more to see, he was ready to continue his search elsewhere… right before he was quickly interrupted by the groaning of his stomach.

He suppose all that running around did make him hungry, and the timing couldn't be more perfect since he was still within the shopping district. Perhaps finding the Babylon Rouges could wait a moment…

Then came the sound of an oncoming Extreme Gear. However, before he could get his hopes up, Sonic gave himself a reminder that it could also be any one of his friends. A gust of wind rushed by him, so powerful that it nearly knocked him off his feet, and dissolved nearly as quickly as it came once the Gear past him and flew further down the streets. The hedgehog was just in time to catch a glimpse of the board itself along with the rider as soon as he recovered from being pushed back.

As the lingering breeze that was left behind played with his quills, an image of what he saw fly past came and went within a matter of seconds. _A flash of green_.

…

Tails grew very unsettled, often glancing at the clock as he paced back and forth within the hotel lobby. As soon as he heard footsteps hurrying towards him a wave of relief washed over him, picking his head up to beam in the direction of where those footsteps came from.

"Hey, just got back from the beach. Did anyone else get back yet?"

The two tailed fox made a disappointed sighed, as the relief he just acquired wash away far too quickly. "Hey Knuckles… No, so far it's just you and me."

A frown instantly formed upon the damp echidna's muzzle. "Well they better get here soon, the race starts in an hour."

"I know. I just finished inspecting each of our Extreme Gears. Everything looks great and ready to go, but I wanted to have a practice run just to make sure." Hopeful the person he was looking for would be coming through the front entrance any moment, Tails turned his gaze towards the door. "Did you happen to see Sonic, by any chance?"

"No." scoffed the echidna. "He probably met up with the Babylon Rouges by now… I just don't get him sometimes…" the last sentence wasn't quite meant to be an open comment, but instead an inward grumble.

This time, Amy and Cream were seen walking into the room, slightly to Tails' discontent. Both were carrying a few shopping bags in each hand as they hurried into the building. Knuckles had his arms folded over his chest. "About time."

"We still got here with _plenty_ of time to spare before the race." retorted the pink hedgehog. "Besides, we could use some extra time getting into our new riding outfits."

"And they're _really_ cute. I can't wait to try mine on!" the young rabbit squealed.

Rolling his eyes, the echidna simply muttered "_Fantastic_…"

"And while we're doing that, maybe you can find something else to do besides act like a jerk." With her nose in the air, and the evil eye from the echidna, Amy made her way towards the elevators along with Cream briskly following behind.

…

Sonic resumed the chase, stuffing his face with one of the two chilidogs he obtained from a nearby stand in the process. As he savored the lingering taste upon his fingertips, he noticed something that shot through the sky; metallic, rotund, and undeniably _familiar_…

A knowing smirk quickly arise to his muzzle. _Looks like things are about to pick up, finally!_

Once he shoved the other chilidog into his mouth, he came to a short stop and swiftly took off in the other direction to pursuit a different target. Staring up at the hovercraft with his iconic boastful grin, he waited until he was side by side with the speeding machine to announce his appearance.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that mech up there sure looks familiar… What could it possibly be doing in place like this?" Even though he wasn't given a response – which seemed odd to the blue hero – he continued whilst cracking a smile. "What's the rush, Egghead? Trying to make it to the early bird special?" By then, he was sure the scientist would have zinged back, or at least make _some_ kind of response.

When neither was given, however, the hedgehog gave a small chortle. "Are you trying to ignore me, or have you gone deaf already? I know you're up there…" Without waiting for a response this time, Sonic shot ahead of the aircraft. Once he was at an enough distance away from the flying mech, Sonic began running up one of the nearby buildings – just in time for a leaving customer to catch sight of a blue blur springing to the top of the store, stopping and staring after him in astonishment.

As soon as Sonic got on top of the store – which only seemed to be three stories high at most – he got into a crouching position and simply waited for the Egg Carrier to catch up. He watched as it approached closer and readied himself to make jump on time, only to notice something after a split second it came into his view…

_No one's even inside…!_

At that point the Egg Carrier flew past him, and Sonic only stared after it as it proceeded to fly out of his sight. "What the…?"

He felt a breeze weaving through his sapphire quills, though it felt rather stiff. The sky was quickly covered with thick clouds, and the air had grown dense and moist. Almost immediately, he recognized the lingering scent of rain.


End file.
